Again, thank you for your opinions. I like them very much :) . And here's the next chapter since it's Friday again!! Yes!

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Eric had been gone for over a week. He had dropped by at the house to say his goodbyes to Blythe, Cuddy and the kids but House hadn't seen him since his last day at work. Which was ok with him. They had had one case since then and Dr Petra Gilmar had really learned how House worked when he was working. The diagnosing had taken three days straight – nights included, and the only one who had had any real sleep was House, though even he had stayed around most of the time. The patient had been the standard 40 year old male – Petra had allowed herself a smile on that one – who had presented with night blindness, loss of the sense of smell, some deafness, balance and coordination problems, numbness and dry and scaly skin. The most alarming of his symptoms, and the one that had finally brought him to the hospital, were the cardiac arrhythmias. Finally they had diagnosed the patient with Adult Refsum Disease. He needed plasmapheresis and a strict diet avoiding all foods with phytanic acid. House was fairly sure that he would not regain his night vision, hearing or his sense of smell, but other than that he was going to be fine.

During that case Petra had also learned why it was a good idea to keep House away from the patient and his family. The man's wife was basically a pretty woman, but obviously terrified of growing old so she dressed too young (and way too tight) and had practically used a shovel to put on her makeup. On seeing her the first time House had shuddered in shock and said:

"Good God! Well at least we now know why the patient went blind!"

"He is not blind," Petra had said trying to make House lower his voice by talking quietly herself. "It's only night blindness, not total blindness."

"And you wonder at it?" House hadn't lowered his voice one bit. "If you had that in your bed at night wouldn't you go blind, too?"

Petra hadn't known what to do, but fortunately Cameron and Chase did. Chase steered House to the patient and Cameron took the wife aside for apologies and mollification. Apparently she played the cripple card to the full. And apparently she had had enough practise at it since the wife actually decided not to sue House.

"Is he always like that?" Petra had asked later.

"Pretty much," Chase nodded.

"We once had a patient - a young girl who we thought had inherited dwarfism from her mother." Cameron revealed. "It turned out to have been a pituitary problem instead, but that we found out later. Anyway, at one point I was examining the girl with House and her mother in the room with me. House had read from the files that the girl's father was normal size so he decided to ask the mother, there and then, how they had done it."

"It?" Petra was not sure she understood. "You mean...?"

"Yeah, she means the nasty," Chase clarified.

"He can't have...!" Petra was appalled.

"I was curious!" House's voice came from the doorway. "Wouldn't you be?"

"I might be curious," Petra accepted. "But I would never be so crass as to ask!"

"What happened to you being able to handle anything I say as long as I keep my hands to myself?" House asked curiously. "Or was it just anything I say to you? Did you think that under my gruff exterior there was a soft centre? That I was mean only to my Fellows and possibly co-workers?" House was silent for a moment waiting for an answer, but Petra didn't have any. "You really thought that I was going to be different when I was stroking the fevered brow of a patient, didn't you? Well, let me tell you I have no desire whatsoever to stroke any fevered brows." House paused and thought for a moment. "Though, come to think of it, there was one brow I would not have minded getting up close and more personal with. She was really something – those love apples were handcrafted by God. But then I found out that she was actually a he. Cured me from wanting to go anywhere near the patients ever again, that did." House shook his head regretfully, filled his mug with coffee and limped into his office leaving a speechless Petra behind him.

"That's the House we know and NOT love," Chase pointed out to her as he took up his crosswords.

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Later that night House and the rest of the people living in the house – except the children who had just been put to bed – were relaxing in the living room. Cuddy was reading a medical journal, as was House; Kasumii and Grey were just cuddling and talking on one of the couches and Blythe and Higa were sitting together in adjoining armchairs and watching TV. At one point Blythe went into the kitchen and came back with coffee for everyone. House watched her distribute the mugs and something about the way she handed the mug to Higa caught his attention. He thought about it for a moment watching his mother and his mentor sit together in companionable silence.

"Am I the only one in this house who isn't getting any!" House snorted with disgust.

"Pardon?" Cuddy looked up startled as did Kasumii and Grey, but they said nothing.

"You don't count right now," House told Cuddy. "You're under doctor's orders."

"What are you talking about?" Cuddy was still completely at a loss.

"I told you we couldn't keep it a secret for long," Higa reminded Blythe mildly.

"I never wanted it to be a secret," Blythe insisted. "I just didn't know how to... It's not exactly easy to introduce the subject to casual conversation and he has been busy these last three days."

"Not to mention that I'm still scarred for life from our previous conversation involving your sexdrive," House insisted.

"Gregory," Blythe admonished her son. "There is no reason to make it sound like I was a nymphomaniac or something."

"Yeah, but you're my mother," House said with an exaggerated shudder. "You're not supposed to ... you know."

"Blythe? You...?" Cuddy looked questioningly to Blythe and then Higa and then back.

"We seem to, yes," Blythe replied a little diffidently.

"Gregory?" Higa didn't have to verbalise the question any more specifically, House understood the look that accompanied that one word.

"You're both grown people and perfectly aware that you share grandchildren," House shrugged. "Since I assume that you have taken them into account, this is your private business. Just let me keep my illusion that you're too old to do anything but cuddle, ok?"

"Greg," Blythe huffed a little. "I'm not..." That was as far as she got before Higa gently put his hand on her mouth.

"Absolutely we're too old for anything else," he told House with a twinkling smile.

"Good," House accepted the promise with a straight face – but there was a responding twinkle in his eyes, too. "So I'm getting my flat back all to myself then?"

"If... if it's ok with you," Blythe still felt a little timid about this new situation.

"If I'm going to keep my illusions, then yeah, it's more than ok," House pointed out. "On the other hand, if you're not quite sure, the downstairs bedroom is free, too. Wilson can sleep in my other bedroom when he stays."

"Tonight is too late to move anyway," Higa observed. "We can talk it over tomorrow, Blythe, and decide what feels right."

"Yes, Akira," Blythe smiled. "We can talk it over tomorrow. The main thing is that Greg knows now."

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A little later Cuddy was in the kitchen when House came in to get more coffee. She hadn't dared to say anything when Blythe and Higa had confessed their relationship to House (as neither had Kasumii and Grey) because it was definitely all between House, his mother and Dr Higa. But she was happy and relieved that House had taken it so well. Blythe deserved to be happy, but had Cuddy known about the affair, she would not have been able to predict House's reaction.

"Some chaperon you turned out to be," House griped to her before she could say anything.

"I didn't know I needed to chaperon anyone," Cuddy defended herself with a wide smile. "I'm happy for them, though."

"Hmmmm," was all House said in response.

"Are you really ok with it?" Cuddy asked cautiously. Maybe he had just been nice to his mother.

"Of course I'm ok with it," House dismissed her concerns. "Mom deserves to be happy. And as I said, they are adults. They know what they are doing."

"I'm sure they do, but love could be blinding them," Cuddy decided to play the devil's advocate – and also to test House a little.

"Love," House huffed a little. "I suppose, though I know very little about that. However, if it is love then at least it's based on friendship. That seems to be a pretty good foundation, from the little I have seen of happy couples. And no matter how blinded they might be, they would never do anything that could harm or cause distress to the children, so I'm definitely ok with all this."

"So we have Kasumii and Grey, Blythe and Higa," Cuddy itemised. "That leaves just us. I'm not sure it's quite fair, since this house-hold was formed for us and our kids."

"Life is unfair," House pointed out. "Besides you don't seem to be missing anything. You're not even talking to me anymore."

"I'm talking to you right now!" Cuddy stared at House amazed.

"I don't mean now," House snorted. "I mean... You don't talk to me anymore."

"Oh, you mean at night," Cuddy suddenly understood. "Well, I'm no longer pregnant so I thought you'd want to be left in peace."

"Oh, so it's a case of you having got what you wanted from me and now you have no use for me anymore," House pouted. "I feel so used."

"You haven't called me either," Cuddy defended herself.

"You have just given birth! And you're taking care of the triplets all day, even if you do have Kasumii to help you." House said. "I don't want to wake you up if you're sleeping. You need your sleep."

"That hasn't stopped you before," Cuddy scoffed.

"Before you haven't been the mother of my children," House pointed out.

"Ok, you do have a point," Cuddy accepted.

"I don't think it's fair of you to stop talking to me right when the talks could get interesting," House whined. "Now that the kids are no longer listening in we could talk dirty. I need some help with my fantasy life. You have totally ruined it for me. Lifeguard Cuddy absolutely refuses to do anything but build sandcastles with the kids and Mother Superior Cuddy keeps lecturing me about my language and the need to clean it up for the kids. Total passion killers both these days."

"Oh dear, how insensitive of me," Cuddy was biting her lip trying to hide a smile. Not that she succeeded.

"You have totally ruined them for me," House accused. "You owe me some help in getting them replaced."

"I'll think about it," Cuddy promised ambiguously.

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Even later House and Higa retired to House's flat. As they were about to go into their respective rooms Higa stopped House for a moment.

"Are you truly ok with me and your mother?" Higa asked seriously.

"Just make her happy," House responded.

"I'll do my best," Higa promised and they walked into their rooms.

As soon as he got into his bedroom House saw that somebody had been there. There was something on his bed. He lifted it up and raised his eyebrows at the frivolous piece of sexy, black lace. Next to it, on the bed, was a small bottle of Chanel n:o 5. Before he could ponder on them longer the walkie-talkie came to life and Cuddy's voice said his name.

"I hope you're not planning for me to wear these," House suggested in response.

"No," Cuddy laughed. "I want you to picture me in it – once I have my figure back and can fit in it."

"What do you mean once," House asked. "As far as I can see Grey's regime has worked wonders. Your ass is as tight as it has ever been. You'd fit in to this tiny thing with no problem. Except possibly the puppies. They might threaten to spill out, but I don't see how that would be a bad thing."

"You seem to have no difficulties in picturing me in it then," House could hear the smile in Cuddy's voice. "So does it help with your fantasy life?"

"I should say so," House agreed. "It's already on overdrive. Want to hear more?"

"I might," Cuddy purred. "I'm not sure how crude your fantasy life is. Is it fit for a lady's ears?"

"Why don't I give you some examples and you'll judge for yourself?" House suggested.

"That sounds like a sensible idea," Cuddy replied.

And it turned out that House's fantasy life could, indeed, be made to fit a lady's ears.